Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Saint Charles, IL (2026)

Saint Charles, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs, with tuition ranging from $3,432 to $14,661 per year for indexed programs. Saint Charles has a population of about 32,733. Median household income is $115,350 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 51.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Attorney at a median $165,660 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Saint Charles

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Saint Charles. Distances are calculated from Saint Charles city center.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Saint Charles. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Elgin Community College

Elgin, IL 6.9 miles from Saint Charles BOC Score50.2
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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#2

Waubonsee Community College

Sugar Grove, IL 11.4 miles from Saint Charles BOC Score59.6
Published tuition$3,432 - $14,661
Online programsYes

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#3

Aurora University

Aurora, IL 11.5 miles from Saint Charles BOC Score66.4
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#4

DeVry University-Illinois

Lisle, IL 12.5 miles from Saint Charles BOC Score39.0
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#5

College of DuPage

Glen Ellyn, IL 13.5 miles from Saint Charles BOC Score47.7
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois criminal justice page.


Criminal Justice Wages Near Saint Charles

Saint Charles is part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (BLS area code 16980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Illinois statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney$165,660Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$159,903
Judge or Magistrate$146,400Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$141,313
Police Supervisor$135,080Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$130,386
Detective or Criminal Investigator$102,260Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$98,707
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer$107,810Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$104,064
Correctional Officer$84,550Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$81,612
Probation Officer$67,610Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$65,261
Forensic Science Technician$112,790Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$108,871
Paralegal or Legal Assistant$70,550Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$68,098
Information Security Analyst$125,310Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$120,956

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Saint Charles at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population32,733Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$115,350Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+51.2%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)103.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Saint Charles-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Saint Charles, IL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Saint Charles. The closest is Elgin Community College in Elgin, IL (6.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is College of DuPage (13.5 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminal justice roles near Saint Charles?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Saint Charles are: Attorney ($165,660), Judge or Magistrate ($146,400), Police Supervisor ($135,080). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Illinois statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Geneva instead of Saint Charles?

Geneva, IL is 2.6 miles from Saint Charles and has its own set of local criminal justice programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Saint Charles an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Saint Charles’s median household income of $115,350 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Saint Charles while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Illinois public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Criminal Justice Programs

Other Programs Available in Saint Charles

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Saint Charles:

Data verified: June 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.